Download Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Windows)

More than 32200 old games to download for free!

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Windows - 1999

Alt names Star Wars: Episode 1 - Die Dunkle Bedrohung, Star Wars: Episode I - La Menace Fantôme, Star Wars: Episodio I - La Amenaza Fantasma, Star Wars: Episodio I - La Minaccia Fantasma, Star Wars: Episódio I - A Ameaça Fantasma
Year 1999
Platform Windows
Released in France, Germany, United States
Genre Action
Theme Licensed Title, Movies, Sci-Fi / Futuristic, Shooter
Publisher LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC
Developer Big Ape Productions, Inc.
Perspective Diagonal-down
Tested on Windows 10, Windows 11
4.48 / 5 - 33 votes

Description of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Read Full Description

Vintage Review

The inevitable problem with insanely popular and over-hyped movies is that everyone -- and their dog -- feel it is their sworn duty to tell the rest of the world what their opinion is of it. Regardless of if they have a valid point to make or if their audience is even interested. This applies to anyone; a vagrant on the streets, the employee behind the counter when all you're trying to (some would say, foolishly) acquire is a Big Mac, or the star contributor of Garden Peas Weekly (the definitive weekly news source in the world of garden peas).

With this in mind, I, of course, won't be burdening you with yet another amateur critique of the movie that generated a few squillion dollars from merchandising before it even opened in the US. I won't tell you that I thought the movie was very well done, worth seeing for the special effects alone, kept the fun and fairy tale spirit of Star Wars and that although it had a number of inconsistencies with the first trilogy, the 'pro' critics have been far too harsh on it.

No. You can count on me. Instead, I'm reviewing the game version of Star Wars: Episode One: The Phantom Menace (a.k.a. "Star Wars: How Many Colons Do We Need, Anyway: A Good Few, At Least", or, for review purposes, TPM). TPM is actually one of a line of LucasArts' new Episode One-based games. Also released simultaneously with the movie opening was the pure racing title, Racer (based on the Podracing scenes) and the children's game, The Gungan Frontier (based on the fact that Jar Jar Binks is supposedly only funny to kids or adults still in touch with their inner child).

TPM is classified as an action-adventure, and puts you in the role of various heroes from the movie, where you get to act out many of the scenarios that the character's faced, plus a large helping of new ones we supposedly didn't get to see. After being treated to the infamous Star Wars text-scrolling introduction (identically worded to the movie), a short cutscene follows that again mirrors the film, however, it's presented in computer-rendered 3D -- complete with 3D actors - instead of movie footage (which is ironic, considering the movie apparently featured only one, second-long shot where there was no CGI visible!). Once completed, you're placed in control of the young Jedi Knight-wannabe Obi-Wan Kenobi, preparing to repel the surprise attack that was sprung on himself and Qui-Gon Jinn by the Trade Federation.

For those unaware of the plot -- and Americans, do remember your European cousins are still awaiting the movie's release (well, those who haven't naughtily sneaked themselves a pirated copy) -- the following is a brief synopsis. I'll obviously tread carefully, but if you're really a die-hard fanatic who wants to learn nothing of the plot before seeing the film, then you're probably better off not reading further; and certainly, skip buying the game altogether for now!

Long before the evil Empire, the galaxy was run by the Galactic Republic, a governing body based on democracy that, for the most part, allowed the different systems to live together in peace. Just recently, they began a taxation on trade routes which didn't please the Trade Federation, an organization formed to protect trader's rights. In a plan to oppose the taxation, the Federation has placed a trade blockade on a small, peaceful planet called Naboo. The Chancellor of the Republic has sent two Jedi Knights to begin negotiations -- which is where you come in. The game depicts the events that follow, including the Jedi's escaping the Federation-invaded Naboo with the Queen, their becoming stranded on the oddly significant planet of Tatooine and meeting Anakin Skywalker (the future Darth Vader), the journey to Coruscant to face the Senate, and the return to Naboo to help the Queen retake rightful control of the planet.

TPM is a 3D game played from a perspective not implemented too often these days -- high above and slightly behind the hero, almost a "top-down" style. This viewpoint was abandoned many years ago in the PC action genre, around the time that the first-person 3D shooter was born. Some companies have attempted to revitalize this perspective recently, with titles like Take No Prisoners and MageSlayers - both were fun titles but ultimately felt less immersive compared to the ever-increasing quality of the first-person games. So does it work with The Phantom Menace? Well, sure, but as with those aforementioned games, the perspective just seems unnecessary. It provides an unusual viewpoint, but not particularly attractive or clever; so why use it? At times, it becomes downright infuriating being restricted to seeing only a few meters in front of you, and no options are provided to adjust it. A simple zoom option would have helped, even.

But, complaints aside, the view isn't severely detrimental to the gameplay, and the levels have obviously been designed to correspond to the view. Talking of gameplay, TPM incorporates a large mix of both action and adventure-oriented styles. Throughout the game, you're usually running around, flipping switches, jumping between platforms, pushing blocks, collecting health powerups and weapons, and generally chopping many number of battle droids in half. However, there's a break from these conventional arcade characteristics with gameplay elements like conversation with branching dialogue trees and a few inventory-based puzzles. These are most apparent on the Tatooine level, where there's very little combat, and most of the time is spent running around the market streets, bartering for ship parts and divulging on little sub-plots to help local residents.

Throughout the game, you will control four characters directly -- the two Jedi, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, and the Queen's guard, Captain Panaka, as well as the Queen herself. As the Jedi, you have several extra moves available to you, including a number of flips and a "Force Push" power (which depletes quickly, but regenerates), which is used to fling back objects and attackers. It's also handy when you don't want to hurt someone, but need to get them out of the way - as humorous as that sounds, it is actually useful in the game (in real life, it would be particularly useful at theme parks during the peak time of year). For example, when in the Gungan city (Jar Jar Binks' home), you need to get past several guards, but since they're not technically 'bad guys,' you don't want to kill them, just shove them off to the side.

You also have the option to use your lightsaber when controlling the Jedi, which, as expected, can be used to both deflect laser fire and cause great damage to an opponent. Unfortunately, control of the saber is very simplistic and clumsy. Although you have a few 'special' moves at your disposal, such as the overhead attack or the spin attack, mostly you just hold down the attack button and let the game do all the work. Also, undoubtedly for game balance reasons, the lightsaber in the player's hands isn't quite as effective as the movie hero's counterparts. Even though approximately 80% of attempted laser deflections are successful (although this does also depends on how many lasers are being fired at you simultaneously), I'd estimate only 10% of those ever deflect back directly at their target. This is obviously to encourage you to play with the other weapons, which include the standard Star Wars variety of blasters, thermal detonators, as well as the funky Gungan Energy Balls.

As the levels progress, you're continually given different types of objectives to complete. Escaping from the Trade Federation ship on the first level is pretty much your standard 'run-shoot-and-find-exit' affair. In the swamps of Naboo, again you're trying to "find the exit," although the game objective is to rendezvous with Qui-Gon (being aided by Mr. Binks, who's always ten steps ahead taunting, "yousa wery slow Jedi!" The game then eases off the action when you reach the city of Otah Gunga, and are sent to rescue Jar Jar from imprisonment -- this is one example of where the game's plot deviates somewhat from the movie (on the big screen, the Jedi aren't forced to run around the city trying to break Jar Jar out of jail). Another example is on Coruscant, where the Jedi desist from escorting the Queen as soon as they land on the planet. In the film, it becomes apparent that she is safe from harm, but in the game, it is up to you as Captain Panaka to protect her from bounty hunter's attack. On escort missions like this, the Queen will often wait in a pre-designated spot and by talking to her, you have the option to order her to stay put or move on -- this adds a small strategy element.

Much of the movie has been translated into the 3D game world, including all of the characters, even the less significant ones, such as the Tusken Raiders or Jabba the Hutt (who you can end up performing for if you're desperate for money). Oddly, however, some characters who played a substantially more crucial role, like Anakin Skywalker and Jar Jar Binks, are barely featured in the game at all. While several lines of dialogue are copied verbatim from the film, many are also excluded altogether, which will probably leave a player who has yet to see the movie feeling very lost. The objective of the current level is always clear, but the continuing plot is often revealed in a disjointed and confusing manner. This essentially means I'd really only recommend this game to people who have seen the movie first.

Where visuals are concerned, The Phantom Menace is well presented, but not the best that we've seen in the past year. Running with a 3D accelerator only, the backdrops can be truly beautiful at times and are probably the most graphically impressive part of the game. Characters are much less detailed, however, created with few polygons and thus looked rather jagged. Effects are above average, with nice explosions, colored lighting, and the lightsabers themselves do their movie counterparts proud. Overall the graphic engine has been competently produced, but doesn't break or even fully reach any current technical boundaries -- its development was no doubt limited by the PlayStation version (a platform that has been long superseded in capabilities by PC accelerated games), which benefited from a simultaneous release. The menu interface and gameplay in general are actually very console-like in nature; we should probably be thankful that the 'save anywhere' feature, often omitted in console ports much to gamers' disgust, did end up in the PC version.

TPM excels in the audio department, which is no unusual feat for LucasArts. Every sound effect complements that of the movie perfectly, and the music, which has proved just as important where Star Wars is concerned, is almost as thrilling as the original trilogy's. LucasArts' budget has proved to be not quite a limitless as its movie studio, Lucasfilm, so the voice acting isn't provided by the big name actors. The sound-alikes perform a worthy job, though, imitating Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman et al, and some of the movie's original cast does, in fact, make it over to the game. Actors Jake Lloyd playing Anakin Skywalker, Ahmed Best playing Jar Jar Binks and Andrew Secombe playing the obsessive gambler Watto all offer their voice talents in the game.

AI of the non-player characters is often considered an important factor in action titles, so it wouldn't be amiss to comment on it here. I do have a few complaints. Firstly, pathfinding. Considering a number of missions involve escorting and following other characters, it's a shame a bit more work wasn't put into their ability to find a simple path around an object. Most noticeably, the Queen escort missions can become moderately annoying when the Queen gets lost miles behind because you didn't give her a clear line of sight. This means that you are forced to halt at every corner, because she always follows a straight line towards you, regardless of the many walls in her way.

Enemies are also generally rather unintelligent (although, where the battle droids are concerned, this fits very accurately with the movie). Once your character is sighted, droids will tend to stand fast and just shoot, shoot, shoot. Other humanoid characters have different personalities -- some will attempt to mug you, but a little Jedi Mind Trick can persuade them otherwise. Around the bars, there are some aliens who will happily give you a hard shove just because they feel like it. Some characters react to whether your weapon is holstered or not. One particularly sorry moment, however, comes when you're on Coruscant and have just been attacked by bounty hunters. You escape to the tourist center, but when you inform the employee in charge that you're under attack, he says you must be mistaken; fair enough, except that his frame of mind fails to change even when the thugs enter the tourist center and are discharging their weapons in front of his eyes. The poor fellow can even be terminated, and his last breath maintains that there's no danger here.

As described earlier in the review, I'm also somewhat discontent with the implementation of the lightsaber. The simplicity makes for some very uninteresting battles, especially with "boss creatures" (a throwback to the games of olde times that I've never really been fond of). The lightsaber duels are undoubtedly the highlight of the movie, so it's unfortunate there's nothing so spectacular about them in the game. With the lack of moves, battles with the Darth Maul and other bosses are a matter of jumping forward, swiping and jumping back in an endless loop until someone's health has been depleted first. There's very little skill involved, and timing is barely relevant. It's not a wonder that in the last level, when you're separated with Qui-Gon in the final duel with Darth Maul (as Obi-Wan was in the movie), the real challenge of the level is just to reach the two combatants. The eventual face-off with Maul is comparatively easy.

Conclusion

There's quite a bit to criticize about the The Phantom Menace, however, I'm still left feeling rather satisfied with the overall experience (that actually applies to both the game and movie). The game basically focuses on a number of action scenes from the movie and develops them into somewhat traditional levels for an action-adventure game. One of the more prominent flaws of the game is how much of the plot is skipped because of its concentration on the action only, which makes it incredibly tough to follow for those who haven't seen the film (Anakin's presence with the Force is downplayed, Darth Sidious is completely absent, there's no mention of the newly-introduced midi-chlorians, to name a few missing elements). But at the same time, for those who have watched the film, this game complements it well, as it gives the player an opportunity to participate in all the excitement which they have just witnessed, and even do a few things differently. Or find entirely new experiences like exploring the outlaw underworld of Coruscant or entering Jabba's palace.

Without the Star Wars theme, TPM as a game would most likely get lost in the crowd, but that's not to say it doesn't have a healthy helping of redeeming features. It retains a good deal more depth than many action games, and the ability to talk with characters and divulge on different conversation threads (even though many dialogue choices end with the same result) is a nice bonus. The puzzles aren't overwhelmingly taxing, but some may stump even the hardened gamers for a little while. It's obvious that TPM was produced to satisfy the largest audience possible, since Star Wars will obviously bring in a slew of casual gamers, and the game will definitely feel much more at home in the console market. Still, with a recipe for disaster like that, LucasArts' nevertheless performed an admirable job and came up with a game to please both casual and hardcore gamers alike, even if the latter are unlikely to go completely barmy over it.

Now... about Episode Two... can anyone confirm the rumor that the movie will be X-rated due to a controversial scene involving the adult Anakin, Queen Amidala and a seriously disturbed Wookie...?

Review By GamesDomain

External links

How to play Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Windows

Read Full Description

The game with Sagaras' patch and dgVoodoo has been tested on Windows 7 64-bit, works fine. Check our Guide and Notes for more details, and instruction how to play the game without the disc in virtual drive

Install & play guide:

  • First download fixed installer for 64-bit systems by Sagaras (also mirrored on this page). The original installer of the game is compatible only with 16-bit/32-bit systems and doesn't work on modern systems, this fixed installer will help you to install the game on new Windows systems
  • Mount the disc image. You will need the utility for mounting disc image files, like WinCDEmu, UltraISO, Alcohol 52%/Alcohol 120% or Daemon Tools Lite
  • Launch fixed installer and install the game. The installer will automatically recognize the disc in virtual drive and install the game correctly, with all registry paths
  • Also it is recommended to install DirectX from the disc (if you're using Windows 10 - enable DirectPlay, read this or this guide how to do it)
  • Open the directory with the game and find TPM.exe and TPM_FIX.exe. Right click on both exe-files - Properties - Compatibility - Set "Run this app in compatibility mode with Windows 98" and "Run as administrator"
  • Launch the game from TPM_FIX.exe and play. If the game doesn't work in compatibility mode with Windows 98 - try to launch it in compatibility mode with other version of Windows (Win95, Windows ME, Win2000, etc.)

Notes:

  • Patch by Sagaras includes fixed installer for 64-bit systems, official patch 1.1, widescreen fix and dgVoodoo 2.5 for stable work. Also, if you want to play with newer versions of dgVoodoo - simply replace dgVoodoo files in dgVoodoo 2_5 folder

  • If fixed installer by Sagaras doesn't work - you can install the game manually, read this guide for more details

  • It is recommended to install old versions of Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for the correct work of the game. Also it is recommended to install RAD Video Tools and K-Lite Codec Pack for the correct work of in-game videos

  • By default the game works only in 4:3 resolutions, if you want to play the game in widescreen - edit obi.ini in game folder, read this guide

  • The game works on DirectX 7, so you will need dgVoodoo in order to play this game on modern systems. Copy files from 3Dfx/x86 & MS/x86 folders, dgVooodooCpl.exe and dgVoodoo.conf, and put all files in main game directory, next to TPM.exe. Then launch the game from TPM.exe

  • And if you're using Windows 8, 8.1, 10 or 11 - you need to enable DirectPlay: Go to Control Panel, and select 'Programs'. Select 'Turn Windows features on and off', click on 'Legacy Components' and check the box 'DirectPlay'. Select OK, once the installation is done, restart your computer

  • With dgVoodoo you can play the game with anti-aliasing and texture filtering - run dgVoodooCpl.exe, open DirectX tab and select the settings you want. After that click "Apply" to save settings, close dgVoodooCpl and run the game. If you set new screen resolution in obi.ini - don't select forced resolution in dgVoodoo settings, to avoid apps conflict

  • By default the game is locked on 30 FPS, but it also supports 60 FPS mode. Press Backspace and type 60fps

  • If you get error Could not initialize graphics hardware - use dgVoodoo

  • For AMD/ATi graphics card - you will also need to use fixed atiumdag.dll, simply put that dll-file in game folder

  • If the game asks for a disc at startup, you need to do the following: 1. Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC/The Phantom Menace/v1.0/ (for 32-bit systems) or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Wow6432Node/LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC/The Phantom Menace/v1.0 (for 64-bit systems) 2. Edit Analyze Path and exchange the CD-ROM drive-letter for the hard disk drive letter 3. Edit CD Path, change it and enter the path to the folder with the installed game (for example, C:/Games/The Phantom Menace) 4. Change Source Dir to . \ 5. Change Source Path to . \ 6. Copy GameData folder from the disc to the game folder 7. That's it, now you can play without a disc in the drive. Download this archive for instruction with pictures

  • Don't forget to check PCGamingWiki page if you have any troubles, it is very useful!

Captures and Snapshots

Comments and reviews

steve 2024-06-04 0 point

i have the actual disc but it wouldnt install so i used the file on this website and i got the game running but even on lowest performance setting mode it still stutters and lags like crazy, is there any other fix for this or am i just sol?

Antonio 2024-06-01 0 point

Installed through Sagaras' fix, I'm getting a frequent sound bug, any tips?

Stealthbat 2024-03-22 0 point

On Jan 16th 2024, The original PlayStation version/release of this game became available for sale digitally on both the PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5 store fronts.

gjs2k24 2024-02-06 -1 point

I've tried both the LGU Repack & Patch by Sagaras, but neither play. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

slomo 2023-12-02 0 point

The Sagaras patch got everything to work beautifully on a Win10 machine. However, I'm trying to mess around a bit with the dgVoodoo settings and I'm confused. The TPM_Fix installation already includes dgVoodoo2.5 and when I modify that conf, no changes happen. I did download dgVoodoo v2.8 from the website and followed the instructions here. Upres'ing, AA, and filtering now work however there's a weird glitch with audio where every sfx just keeps playing on a loop. Like it's being called dozens of times before it fades. Game's pretty unplayable but looks really good! :P

Any ideas anyone?

SpacePoney 2023-11-16 0 point

I have been looking so much for this game, i was a child 24 years when this game appeared, i played on the integrated graphics card, so many times.

i was amazed to see it ran perfectly from first try. i used this download version from below "LGU Repack by Bladez1992". i only installed Direct Play windows feature, and it just works. i have a modern computer 7800x3D cpu + RTX 4080 gpu + 1440p 180hz monitors. it just works, thank you Bladez1992.

Bladez1992 2023-09-03 2 points

Hey everyone, I've had a project for a few years now making new installers for old PC games; Star Wars Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace is one of the games I've restored
Come check out Legacy Gamer's Union on Discord for this game and plenty of others that actually work on Windows 10/11
discord.gg/invite/wF3zJPDVQg

Baby_BlOOD 2023-07-09 0 point

Hello there !
When i try to install the game, i have a error message :
[ "\GAMEDATA\JCG\* - don't exist ]

Someone can help me plz ?

admin 2023-04-13 2 points

Rip-version works good only on 16/32-bit systems, because Rip is just pre-installed game. Better make clean full installation from ISO image, use Sagaras' patch to install the game

Zeng44 2023-04-10 0 point

Yo, guys! RIP version does not work!
Can anyone help, please?

JackHicks236 2023-04-07 1 point

That main menu, dude.

gg 2023-03-30 1 point

I spend so many years playing this game! it was like a prototype KOTOR, it was just awesome!
And I got really excited on Tatooine with those Twi'lek dancers, and Padme was cute too, even with her blocky avatar.

patch issue? 2023-03-30 -2 points

The patch gives me a warning for trojan (windows defender)

PCGAMER90 2023-03-30 1 point

Aw maaaaan! I waited so long for an abandonware site to make this available, since it is not on any digital storefront. Once again, MyAbandonware delivers! This game was a big chunk of my childhood. Can't wait to play it again!

Write a comment

Share your gamer memories, help others to run the game or comment anything you'd like. If you have trouble to run Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Windows), read the abandonware guide first!

 

Download Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

We may have multiple downloads for few games when different versions are available. Also, we try to upload manuals and extra documentation when possible. If you have additional files to contribute or have the game in another language, please contact us!

Windows Version

DownloadISO Version English version 580 MB DownloadLGU Repack by Bladez1992 English version 863 MB DownloadRip-version English version 92 MB DownloadDisc Image German version 722 MB DownloadDisc Image French version 736 MB DownloadDisc Image Italian version 696 MB DownloadDisc Image Japanese (ja) version 699 MB ManualEnglish version 3 MB

Game Extras

Various files to help you run Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, apply patches, fixes, maps or miscellaneous utilities.

PatchOfficial patch v1.1 English version 715 KB FixPatch by Sagaras (includes fixed installer for 64-bit systems)
Use it to play the game on modern systems English version German version French version 13 MB
FixFixed atiumdag.dll for AMD/ATi graphics cards
Use if you get "Could not initialize graphics hardware" error English version 2 MB
DemoEnglish version 34 MB

Similar games

Fellow retro gamers also downloaded these games:

Times of Lore abandonware
Times of LoreDOS, C64, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Apple II1989
Need for Speed II: SE abandonware
Need for Speed II: SEWin1997
Project IGI: I'm Going In abandonware
Project IGI: I'm Going InWin2000
007: Nightfire abandonware
007: NightfireWin, Mac2002
Driver abandonware
DriverWin, Mac1999
Heretic II abandonware
Heretic IIWin, Mac, Linux1998

Ad Consent Terms About Contact FAQ Useful links Contribute Taking screenshots How to play

MyAbandonware utopiaweb